Insider: Colts might finally have the offensive line to keep Andrew Luck upright

Coming off of win versus Bills, the Colts head to Oakland to play the Raiders Sunday. Insiders Zak Keefer and Joel Erickson discuss what's to expect.
Clark Wade, Clark.Wade@Indystar.com

The Indianapolis Colts offensive line is protecting quarterback Andrew Luck, and perhaps starting to find an identity. Offensive line coach coach Dave DeGuglielmo worked with his players at training camp over the summer.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

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INDIANAPOLIS — A football identity can be both powerful and problematic, easily established and hard to pin down, enduring and fleeting.

And it can take on many forms.

A football identity can encompass an entire team — think Philadelphia’s dog masks last January, or the two decades the Baltimore Ravens were essentially the football equivalent of a snarling junkyard dog. Seattle’s Legion of Boom built an identity around a position group, and now that the group is gone the Seahawks no longer feel like they fit the logo on their helmets. An identity can be built around just two men — think Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in New England, or Drew Brees and Sean Payton in New Orleans — or just one, like Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay or Andrew Luck for so much of his time in Indianapolis.

The Colts offensive line, however, has lacked any kind of positive identity.

Part of that has been the turnover, the ever-changing cast of characters that has made up the 40 different line combinations Luck has played behind in his 83 starts in the NFL. Part of that identity has been the hits Luck has taken, hits that have caused a concussion and lacerated his kidney and wrecked his shoulder. For so many years, the Colts offensive line has been a punch line for talking heads in the broadcast booth, national writers riffing off Twitter jokes on Sunday, fans in Indianapolis frustrated with seeing their franchise quarterback on the ground.

The Colts offensive line might be in the early stages of building a different identity right now.

The current numbers are staggering. Luck has not taken a sack in his last 127 dropbacks, a streak of 124 throws and three scrambles, not since Trey Flowers and Patrick Chung came free on a pressure on the second play against New England in Week 5. Indianapolis has given up just 10 sacks, tied for fifth in the NFL and on pace for 23 sacks, which would be the fewest the Colts have allowed since the team drafted Luck in 2012. On a per-play basis, the Colts rank second in the NFL in sack percentage, allowing a sack on just 3.1 percent of pass plays. Indianapolis is also averaging 4.5 yards per carry in the running game, 13th in the NFL and the highest number of the Luck era.

A little less than half a season and two full games under the current line configuration is far too small a sample size to say the Indianapolis offensive line has built any kind of enduring identity yet.

But traces of the identity the Colts could build in front of Luck are beginning to emerge.

It's hard to find O-line men and keep them healthy

Ryan Kelly sees toughness.

There are two kinds of tough. There’s the Cam Newton, Clint Eastwood-as-Dirty Harry, Superman deflecting bullets off his breastplate kind of tough, a kind of invincibility that seems almost superhuman. Then there’s the other kind, the Brett Favre, John McClane-at-Nakatomi Plaza, Wolverine feeling every slice in his body kind of tough. The kind that can feel the pain, feel the adversity and keep finding a way.

The Colts offensive line is far from invincible. If there is one aspect of this Indianapolis front that feels like the first six years of the Luck era, it’s how many hits the Colts have already taken. Indianapolis has used five offensive line combinations this season, forced into a constant state of adaptation due to injuries to J’Marcus Webb, Matt Slauson and Joe Haeg. Even Anthony Castonzo, the one constant for Luck through all of the change in his career, was forced to miss the first five games of this season due to a hamstring injury.

“That’s kind of par for the course,” Castonzo said. “It’s a violent game. Guys get injured.”

The difference is how the Colts have handled the injuries this season.

Nearly all NFL coaches and general managers agree that finding good offensive linemen is harder than it has ever been before. A dearth of college programs running the pro-style offenses that produce ready-made NFL offensive linemen, coupled with the CBA’s rules on practice time limiting the full-contact chances coaches have to develop young offensive linemen, have thinned the pool of candidates considerably. When a starter goes down on any team, the drop-off can be considerable, a reality the Colts have come to know far too much in the past couple of seasons.

New Indianapolis offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo found a way to turn the injuries that hit in training camp into a strength.

“In the preseason, we had a bunch of different rotations, people playing with different people so we could kind of get a feel for each other,” rookie tackle Braden Smith said. “I think it’s really paying off now, with as many injuries as we’ve had and people playing different positions.”

Smith might be the best example. Initially envisioned as a guard when the Colts used a second-round pick to select him out of Auburn, Smith had to moonlight at right tackle during training camp, and over the course of the past three games he’s established himself as a potential long-term solution at a position that has seemed cursed for the Colts during the Luck era.

The plan was always for Castonzo to play left tackle, rookie Quenton Nelson to slot in at left guard and Kelly to lead the unit from the center position. Finding gold with Mark Glowinski at right guard and Smith playing right tackle has been something of a surprise.

“It seems it’s going to play out one way, and it goes a different direction,” offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said.

Every offensive line in the NFL has to deal with injuries at some point. Offensive lines that are successful find a way to keep playing well no matter who is in the lineup.

“Toughness on the offensive line,” Kelly said. “It hasn’t always been perfect, and we’ve had some guys rotating, but for the most part, if you’re going to have toughness, you’re going to be fine.”

Colts are investing in offensive linemen ... finally

Castonzo has been in Indianapolis the longest. He’s played with a lot of different offensive linemen.

And he can’t believe the power around him now.

“In terms of sheer power, there’s some guys who can do some things that I haven’t really seen (before),” Castonzo said.

Indianapolis General Manager Chris Ballard headed into the 2018 offseason determined to fix the biggest mistake he made in his first season.

That meant making a heavy investment in the offensive line, either in terms of money or draft picks. By the laws of supply and demand, the shortage of talented blockers in the NFL has made it more difficult for teams to build their front fives on the cheap.

Ballard believes in building through the NFL draft, and at any rate, help on the free agent market was few and far between. Players at the top of the market, like Giants tackle Nate Solder, Jaguars guard Andrew Norwell and Cardinals guard Justin Pugh, have all struggled in their new environs. Indianapolis ignored the spending spree, making low-cost acquisitions instead in the forms of veterans like Matt Slauson and J’Marcus Webb.

CLOSE

The Indianapolis Colt return to practice Wednesday as they prepare for the Oakland Raiders.
Clark Wade, Clark.Wade@Indystar.com

The Colts paid their premium in draft picks. Indianapolis used two of its first three picks on Nelson and Smith. The rookies come from different pedigrees. Nelson was a once-in-a-lifetime prospect from Notre Dame, a school that has become a factory in recent years for Pro Bowl-caliber offensive linemen. Smith, a product of an Auburn spread system nowhere near as complex as most NFL schemes, faced a much bigger learning curve.

What they had in common was power and athleticism — Nelson and Smith might have been the top two all-around performers at the NFL scouting combine — and the ability to translate their gifts in the weight room into crushing blocks against professional defensive linemen and linebackers.

“You look at the draft every year, and there’s always these huge, physical guys that are built perfectly,” Slauson said. “But I don’t necessarily think it translates to the NFL, unless guys make it translate.”

After years of cobbling together offensive lines from late-round sleepers and low-cost veterans, Indianapolis suddenly has three first-rounders and one second-rounder in the starting five on the offensive line.

Even if the picks in question do not think of themselves as blue bloods.

“Shoot, I was a first-rounder eight years ago,” Castonzo said. “It means nothing at this point. We’re all just blue-collar guys going out there trying to block and get some yards.”

Mark Glowinski is the outlier in the current starting five. A fourth-round pick by Seattle out of West Virginia in 2015, Glowinski spent the entire 2016 season as a starter before getting caught in the Seahawks’ own revolving door on the offensive line and cut to the street last December. Indianapolis picked him up with a waiver claim, and he opened the season behind the veteran Slauson at guard.

Glowinski bristles at the suggestion that he wasn’t the right fit in Seattle.

“I have no control on what they wanted to do,” Glowinski said. “The two years before, I started all, what did we have, 18 games, or something like that? Then they were bringing in some other guys, things happened, guys get banged up, stuff like that. For me, it was just keep working hard, reevaluate yourself every day and just see what happens.”

He has been a perfect fit for a Colts offensive line that paved the way for 220 rushing yards — the first time an Indianapolis ground game has eclipsed 200 yards in the Luck era — against Buffalo’s top 10 run defense last week.

This group of Indianapolis offensive linemen is not merely content with keeping Luck clean.

These Colts want to steamroll people on the ground.

“I am really seeing a lot of movement of the offensive line on the defensive line – moving the defensive line against their will,” Sirianni said. “Power by Braden Smith. Power by Quenton Nelson and just good quickness by Ryan Kelly. Good, fundamentally sound technique by Anthony Castonzo. Mean and nastiness by Glowinski. Shoot, I don’t even know Glowinski’s first name.”

Sirianni was joking about Glowinski’s first name, of course.

But the point is clear. Brawlers like the players the Colts have added to the offensive line often need only one name to intimidate.

Linemen study, prepare to keep Andrew Luck 'upright'

Slauson sees smarts.

The veteran has been a part of a lot of different offensive lines, although he has no first-hand experience with the Colts’ history up front. Four years in New York when the Jets were going to AFC Championship Games, three in Chicago, two with the Chargers in different parts of southern California.

A Colts line that is currently starting four players still on their rookie contracts is ahead of any of the groups he’s played with before.

“A defensive coordinator’s whole job is to mess with our X’s and O’s, figure out what are rules are and how do you stress our rules,” Slauson said. “When you see guys react how they’re supposed to, it’s not because it’s part of our X’s and O’s. … it’s when our rules get broken, how do you react to be in the right spot? Our guys are really, really good at that.”

Colts coach Frank Reich sets the tone by paying closer attention to protection than most teams.

Quarterbacks coach Marcus Brady begins studying an opponent’s blitz packages 10 days ahead of time; he began working on Raiders film three days before the Colts played Buffalo. Brady presents his findings to the coaching staff on Monday, and by Wednesday, the coaches give the information to the quarterbacks, the entire offensive line, tight ends and running backs in a meeting that is then repeated on Thursday.

The point is to make sure every player understands the week’s protections inside and out. For Reich, it’s standard operating procedure, even if it’s more comprehensive than most NFL teams.

“I think it’s something special that we do,” Sirianni said. “Keeping Andrew upright is obviously the main priority, so we will go to all ends that we need to, to do that.”

Luck and Kelly, two players the Colts largely didn’t have last season, are the key.

With Luck sidelined for the entire season and Kelly limited to just seven games due to a broken foot and a concussion, Indianapolis did not have its masterminds.

Now that Luck and Kelly are back healthy and working together again, the Colts can reap the benefits of their intelligence. On Sundays, the quarterback and the center make the pre-snap adjustments as opposing defenses roll out whatever blitz they have cooked up to tie the Colts in knots. New York and Buffalo, the Colts’ last two opponents, are known for their blitz packages; Indianapolis gave up no sacks and just six quarterback hits in those two games combined.

“Andrew and Ryan know the looks like the back of their hand,” Sirianni said. “They know the calls that they make off those looks, and they know the adjustments that they would make, even in looks that this team hasn’t shown.”

Reich also deserves credit for designing an offense that gets the ball out of Luck’s hands quickly.

Andrew Luck is benefiting from a sturdier and more cohesive offensive line.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

Luck is known for sacrificing his body in search of the big play; at times, he’s taken more hits because he takes time to throw. In Reich’s offense, particularly early in the season when the line was in a constant flux, the Colts dialed up a quick game that has cut down Luck’s time to throw. Luck is averaging 2.62 seconds between snap and throw, a quarter of a second faster than the Indianapolis offense in 2016 and 2017 (with Jacoby Brissett).

As the season has progressed and he’s learned his personnel, Reich has pushed the ball down the field more and incorporated more play-action, but Luck has helped his offensive line by making quick decisions.

“All I know is he’s been totally into it and bought into, 'Hey, we are going to mix up the quick rhythm stuff,’" Reich said. “You need to be the captain of the ship when it comes to this protection world. It’s a lot on the offensive line, but you’ve got to protect yourself, and we can do that systematically, as well in the way that things are game-planned and called, but it’s got to start with him.”

Preparation, play-calling and a quarterback’s decision-making all play a role.

Ultimately, though, an offense cannot survive unless the line is capable of making its own adjustments, sometimes in the middle of a play, against defenses that have spent an entire week dreaming up ways to get a pass rusher with a clear line to the quarterback.

“I’ve been doing this a long, long time,” Slauson said. “Top to bottom, this is probably the smartest room I’ve been around.”

Colts O-line is better, but tougher tests are coming

With Andrew Luck sidelined for the entire season last year and Ryan Kelly limited to just seven games due to a broken foot and a concussion, Indianapolis did not have its masterminds. They're healthy now, and together again. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports(Photo: Jeff Hanisch, Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)

Tough. Powerful. Smart.

That’s the kind of identity the city of Indianapolis has been begging the Colts to put around Luck for years. An offensive line that can give its franchise quarterback a running game that can take the energy out of an opposing pass rush, then swallow up whatever’s left.

Luck has played behind lines that were better than the stereotype — Indianapolis finished in the top 10 in sacks allowed in both 2013 and 2014, and that 2013 group paved the way for a running game that averaged 4.3 yards per carry — but the hits he’s taken and the lack of success Indianapolis has had on the ground during his tenure have given the Colts the identity of a team carried solely by its battered and bruised leader.

Only time will tell if the Colts’ current offensive line configuration, or something close to it, can combine those three traits into a reputation strong enough to erase all of the preconceived notions.

Tougher tests are coming. Not in Oakland, where the Khalil Mack-less Raiders have one of the league’s worst pass rushes, but five games against the rest of the AFC South will test the Colts in the season’s second half. A Jaguars team in turmoil can still play like Sacksonville. Tennessee has its own talent. J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus lurk in Houston.

“The identity is going to continue to be built,” Slauson said.

For the first time in a long time, the Colts seem to have the foundation in place.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) watches as T.Y. Hilton (13) catches a touchdown pass in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (24) in the second half of their game on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) celebrates his touchdown with Chester Rogers (80) in the first half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive back Mike Mitchell (34) celebrates a tackle and a third down stop in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) cheers on his offensive line in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) runs by Buffalo Bills defensive back Dontae Johnson (36) on his way for a touchdown in the second half of their game on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) celebrates his touchdown with his teammates in the second half of their game on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) attempts an extra point but misses it in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore (23) and his teammates celebrate his interception of Buffalo Bills quarterback Derek Anderson in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) turns to hand the ball off to running back Marlon Mack (25) in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) looks on after missing an extra point in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) talks to his teammates in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) finds running room in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard (53) and defensive back Pierre Desir (35) take down Buffalo Bills running back Marcus Murphy (45) in the second half of their game on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) runs by Buffalo Bills strong safety Micah Hyde (23) for a touchdown in the first half of their game on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines (21) runs around the Buffalo Bills defenders in the first half of their game on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) uses a machine to massage his groin muscle in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. The Colts defeated the Bills 37-5. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) steps out of bounds at the one yard line late in the game against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) is escorted off the field after the second play of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

Buffalo Bills quarterback Derek Anderson (3) makes his way onto the field for the Bills' first drive against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) makes his way down the sideline after a pass from quarterback Andrew Luck (12) for the touchdown against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) runs by Buffalo Bills defensive back Dontae Johnson (36) for a touchdown in the first half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines (21) still arms Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer (21) in the first half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is hit by Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) after he got rid of the ball in the first half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) scores a two-point conversion against the Buffalo Bills in the first half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) fumbles the snap into the end zone but the Buffalo Bills cannot pull in the ball at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. The play resulted in a safety. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts fans cheer on the defense on a fourth down attempt by the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. The Colts would stop the Bills short of the first down. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar